Motorsports: Rip Michels scores another victory at Irwindale

IRWINDALE - Irwindale Speedway's all-time winningest driver Rip Michels won his third race of the season in a 50-lap green flag Super Late Model event before 3,000 Saturday night.

Michels, of San Fernando, with his 64th win of his career at Irwindale, took an early lead on lap two, but saw Jason Patison lead from laps seven to 15.

But it was all Michels the rest of the way as he stretched his points lead to 14 over Toni McCray halfway through the eight-race season.

Michels, who last raced full time at Irwindale in 2009, talked about racing after a season without action at the half-mile track.

"It's really cool, because I know the track was shut down for a year and to be able to come back and be a part of trying to bring everything back and get cars back and fans back is cool. To have that three years to not slow me down was kind of surprising, but it's a long season and Toni is right there."

Ryan Partridge, who traded leads with Ken Michaelin on laps nine and 10, never trailed the rest of the way in winning for the first time this season in the 40-lap Progressive Painting Race Trucks event.

Partridge, who finished second in the series to Connor Cantrell in the last race of 2011, survived two yellow flags and easily held off Michaelin and won by four lengths.

"We've been really focusing the last couple weeks on making our (truck) good for the long run," Partridge said. "I think it showed (Saturday)."

In the first race of the night, Steve Rogers became a first-time winner this season in the Mini Stocks to break a two-man domination from the top two points leaders, Ryan Bragdon and Robby Hornsby, in the first three races of the season.

"I was supposed to retire and I did and Darryl (Scoggins) was gracious enough to let me drive his car," Rogers said. Scoggins competes in the SRL series in the S2 Tour.

"We used to have a family of pintos and we sold them all for dirt cars. Darryl offered this car so we picked it up.

"Last week we had it won by a straightaway, but a .50 part (throttle cable) broke and we had to come back here and redeem ourselves and we did."

That he did as Rogers started out in third position and took his first lead from Hornsby, who was second in points to Bragdon. Both are tied for the points lead with three races remaining.